How to attach files to your templates

In Shared Email Templates for Outlook

On this page, you will find several ways to attach a file to your templates in Shared Email Templates. You can attach files from OneDrive, SharePoint, URL or create an Outlook draft, attach a file to it, and use this draft as a template. Also, you can use a special macro that will remind you to attach a file from your local storage each time you use a certain template.

Here is a quick How to attach files cheat sheet, click on the button below to download it:

Download cheat sheet

• Attach file from OneDrive
• Attach file from SharePoint
• Single sign-on (SSO) for OneDrive and SharePoint
  • Disable single sign-on
  • Important notes
• Attach file from URL
• What not to do while attaching files from URL
• Use Outlook draft with attached file
• Attach file from local storage
• Useful links in our blog

Attach file from OneDrive

The first way to add a file to your template is to attach one from OneDrive with the help of the ~%AttachFromOneDrive macro. To use the macro, open your template and click the Insert macro icon:

In the drop-down list, select the ~%AttachFromOneDrive macro:

If single sign-on is disabled, the add-in will ask you to log in to your OneDrive account. Choose a file to attach to your email:

When you use a template with this macro, the macro downloads the chosen file and attaches it to the currently open email message.

Tip. When the macro is created, you can click on it and select to Open file or Open folder:

Attach file from SharePoint

Also, you can use the ~%AttachFromSharePoint macro to attach a file from your SharePoint:

When you pick this macro, if single sign-on is turned off, the add-in will ask to log in to your SharePoint account. Choose a file to attach:

Note that when you use a template with this macro, you have to be logged in to SharePoint so that the macro has access to the file.

Tip. When the macro is created, you can click on it and select to Open file or Open folder:

Single sign-on (SSO) for OneDrive and SharePoint

If you attach files from OneDrive or SharePoint and you've got only one OneDrive account that is the same as your Microsoft 365 Outlook account (that is indicated in Outlook File → Account information), you can take advantage of single sign-on to avoid entering or confirming your credentials each time you use the ~%AttachFromOneDrive and ~%AttachFromSharePoint macros.

With single sign-on, you will only once accept the permissions for the app:

After that, all files will be attached without any additional pop-ups.

Disable single sign-on

The single sign-on feature is turned on by default. If you may attach files from different OneDrive accounts, turn single sign-on off. For this, click the three dots in the bottom right corner of the add-in pane and select Profile:

Click Edit Account:

Here is the checkbox you need:

Important notes

Below the checkbox, you may see an error message in red, in most cases, the message would be connected to one of the listed below points.

But if you are seeing the 'SSO is not supported in your current add-in version' message, most probably, you simply need to wait a bit till the app will be updated in your account. The speed of this process depends on Microsoft and we can't influence it.

Attach file from URL

Another way to add a file to your template is to attach a file from a URL by using the ~%AttachFromURL macro:

In the macro inserted into your template, add a link to the required file between the square brackets, e.g. ~%AttachFromURL[https://domain.com/file-url]

What not to do while attaching files from URL

Friends, please, if you want to attach a file from OneDrive or SharePoint, use the ~%AttachFromOneDrive and ~%AttachFromSharePoint macros only.

Do not try to use the ~%AttachFromURL macro and put a link to your file from OneDrive or SharePoint into square brackets.

For instance, you may open your file in a browser, copy its address from the address bar, and try to use it in the ~%AttachFromURL macro. This won't work. Also, if you copy a link to your file while sharing it in OneDrive and paste it into square brackets in the ~%AttachFromURL macro—this won't work too.

Use Outlook draft with attached file

Besides, to attach a file to your template, you can use Outlook drafts as templates. In this case, you create a draft in Outlook, attach a file to it, and link the folder with this draft to Shared Email Templates. Here is our guide on how to use linked folders:

How to use Outlook drafts as templates

Attach file from local storage

To remind yourself to attach a file from your hard drive or SSD every time you use a certain template, apply the ~%WhatToAttach macro:

When inserting this macro into your template, fill in Window title with a word or phrase that will prompt you for the necessary file afterwards:

So, each time you insert a template that contains the ~%WhatToAttach macro into your email message, the add-in will ask you to select a file under a certain title. Click the Browse icon to pick it:

Useful links in our blog

You can find plenty of useful information on this topic in our blog articles:

• Attach OneDrive file to Outlook emails using Shared Email Templates
• Attach SharePoint files to Outlook email using Shared Email Templates
• Attach a file from URL to Outlook email messages
• Creating Outlook drafts with attachments and using them as email templates